When to Seek Immediate Care for a Tooth Injury

When to Seek Immediate Care for a Tooth Injury

Accidents happen, and unfortunately, tooth injuries are all too common δΈ€ with about 1 billion people having experienced a dental injury at some point. If you’re one of them, don’t postpone dental care. 

Urgent care dental services here at Dr. Darj Dental in El Paso, Texas, can help reduce your pain and potentially save your tooth. In this blog, Mehrnoosh Darj, DDS, shares five situations that warrant immediate dental care. 

Your tooth is chipped or cracked

Maybe you hit your tooth on a coffee mug or a bottle or you chipped your tooth playing a sport. There are many ways that you can chip a tooth, but regardless of how it happened, you shouldn’t ignore it. 

Not only does a chip or crack hurt, but untreated chips and cracks can lead to other issues. Bacteria can enter the crack and lead to an infection in your tooth, and sharp edges can cut your tongue, cheek, or lip.

Your tooth is knocked out

An avulsed tooth requires swift treatment. Ideally, you should receive treatment within 30 minutes of the injury to give your tooth the best chance of reattaching. 

Before you arrive at our office, rinse off your tooth, but do your best to not touch the roots. You can keep your tooth moist by placing it back in the socket (if possible), stowing it in your cheek, placing it in a cup of milk, or using a tooth-saver kit from a dental first aid kid.

Your tooth is wiggly

Even if your tooth isn’t knocked out fully, a blow to the face can make a permanent tooth wiggly. Dental splinting can help immobilize traumatized teeth so they don’t wiggle.

You have tooth pain following an injury

Pain is your body’s way of alerting you that something is wrong. Although it’s tempting to power through dental pain, any tooth injury that results in pain should be evaluated. Depending on how you injured your tooth, you may notice swelling, redness, and, if an infection has developed, foul odor and pus. 

An injury affected your restorations

Some injuries don’t just affect your teeth; they can impact your restorations, too. If any restorations, including crowns or fillings, become loose or damaged, get to the office so Dr. Darj can correct the issue and protect your teeth. 

How we treat tooth injuries

Before you arrive at our office, you may benefit from cold therapy (to reduce swelling), over-the-counter pain relief medication, swishing with salt water, or applying gauze (if your tooth is bleeding), but none of these at-home remedies will fix your injury for good. Dr. Darj can address those symptoms and fix the root cause of the problem.

The first step in treating a tooth injury is to determine the type and extent of your injury. Dr. Darj and her compassionate team can diagnose tooth injuries through an exam and a review of dental X-rays, which can reveal small fractures and other injuries that may be invisible to the naked eye. 

Potential treatments include:

When you have a dental emergency that calls for urgent care, call Dr. Darj Dental at 915-213-4097 right away, come into our office, or book an appointment online.

You Might Also Enjoy...

Stop Doing These Things If You Want Whiter Teeth

Everyone wants a bright white smile, but some lifestyle habits can unfortunately sabotage this dream. Read on to explore the habits you should put a stop to if you want whiter teeth and to learn how we can help you achieve that goal.

5 Signs That It's Time to Fix the Gap in Your Teeth

Are you self-conscious about the gap between your teeth? Are you on the fence about fixing it? Read on to explore five signs that it’s time to fix that tooth gap and how we can help you do that without any metal braces or brackets.

Your First Steps After Tooth Extraction

It’s never easy to hear that you need a tooth extraction, but whether you’re dealing with wisdom teeth or a badly damaged molar, extractions help address problematic teeth. Read on to learn your first steps after a tooth extraction.

Do Certain Foods Promote Tooth Decay?

Sugar is well-known for its role in causing cavities, but is sugar the only food you need to watch out for? In this blog, we highlight the specific foods that promote tooth decay as well as the foods that fight it.

How to Avoid the Need for a Root Canal

Root canal therapy is designed to save a tooth that’s at risk of being pulled, but how can you avoid the need for a root canal in the first place? There are a few things that you can do, and we cover all of them in this blog.